


I Want It That Way

by Imagined



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Parent Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 21:45:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15894744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imagined/pseuds/Imagined
Summary: prompt: could you write smth like,,, stephen falling in love with his neighbor tony, who is, according to stephen, the cutest and most precious dad? (tony’s son is obviously peter aaah)Stephen feels a soft ache, as he feels the sudden desire to take off Tony’s beanie and run his fingers through Tony’s hair and kiss him senseless. He wants to take Peter on his back and run around with him, and see Tony’s smile and hear Peter’s giggles. He wants to share that coffee with Tony, and thank strangers who compliment him on Peter, instead of explaining to them that Peter’s not his.This is the gravest mistake Stephen makes – he falls in love.





	I Want It That Way

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on tumblr, [here](http://https://allthetonyships.tumblr.com/post/177693053135/could-you-write-smth-like-stephen-falling-in). the title was inspired by the backstreet boys' _I Want It That Way_ because I had it on repeat while writing this, and it really inspired me. also, I didn't know another title, because I originally posted it without one. oh well.

When they meet, Stephen is in a bad mood. He doesn’t have a lot of contact with his neighbours, and he’s fine holing himself up in his apartment, 23C. He has just come back from a long shift from the hospital where he failed to save three people who had been in a gruesome car accident.

He’s tired, and he feels disappointed, and there’s an empty feeling in his stomach, and he just wants to go home and sleep for the rest of the day.

The child that bumps into him, just as he puts his key in his door, doesn’t help his mood. ‘’Watch where you’re going,’’ he snaps at the boy, who can’t be more than five years old, with liquid brown eyes and a unruly mop of brown hair.

‘’Sorry, mister,’’ the boy mutters, and then a man steps out of the front door next to Stephen’s. His hair is the same colour as the boy’s, but his eyes are a shade darker, a warm chocolate that can seemingly look into Stephen’s soul.

‘’Hey,’’ the man says. ‘’Sorry, did Peter bump into you? Peter, did you say you’re sorry?’’

‘’Yes, dad,’’ the boy complains, and runs inside the apartment without looking back.

The man smiles hesitantly at Stephen and hides his hands behind his body, almost as if he’s insecure. ‘’Sorry about that. He’s not this snappish, usually. He’s not taking the move very well. My name is Tony.’’

Stephen takes the hand Tony holds out to him, more out of courtesy than anything else. The man’s smile is bright, though, and maybe he isn’t that bad. He’s attractive enough, certainly. ‘’Stephen Strange,’’ he says.

Maybe other people would ask how he’s doing, or if he’s settling in. Maybe other people would ask why the boy – Peter – is upset. Maybe other people would offer him coffee. Stephen just wants to go to sleep. Tony seems to sense that Stephen doesn’t want to start a conversation, and backs away. His smile diminishes just the tiniest bit, but he notices, and he feels somewhat guilty.

‘’Do you want some coffee?’’ he asks, before he can stop himself.

Tony’s smile glows again, and that is Stephen’s first mistake.

~*~

In all fairness, the mistakes are easy to make. Once Stephen starts, he finds it hard to stop. Originally, it was just Tony’s expressive eyes that convinced him to invite his new neighbour in, but then he starts _knowing_ Tony. Usually, knowing people is enough to make sure Stephen isn’t attracted to them anymore. Most people have a hard time keeping up with him, or are put off by his sarcasm and intelligence. Most people aren’t Tony.

Tony takes his coffee dark, and has several PhDs, and reads book on advanced mechanics just to correct them. Tony responds to Stephen’s sarcasm with a sharp wit, turning the tables around. Tony isn’t impressed with Stephen’s money or brains, but laughs instead and mocks Stephen about his choice of apartment.

Tony is pretty much everything Stephen looks for in someone. He’s not picky about men or women, but he’s picky about their characteristics. Tony is an absolute genius, funny, and nice on the eyes. Stephen is very much in trouble.

~*~

For the first few weeks, Tony keeps coming around. Stephen doesn’t mind it; he doesn’t have a lot of friends, and he likes having Tony there. He wonders if he should make a move on Tony, ask him for coffee _outside_ , go on a date, but decides to wait. He’s not in a rush, and Tony hasn’t mentioned a possible love interest.

Stephen wonders why, but takes it as the good sign it is, in his eyes. He can take his time figuring Tony out, if he’s interested in men, if he’s interested in _Stephen_ like that.

He has pretty good hopes, until the day Tony’s coming over to bring him a few books on astrophysics, as Stephen asked, and Tony gets a phone call.

‘’Yeah?’’ Tony answers into his phone, easily. Stephen turns his back to the man, laying the borrowed books on the stairs to take upstairs for later. ‘’No, yeah – I told you, I can’t. I’ve got Peter. No, I know, but that’s not – that’s not what I want. Yeah, I’m sorry. No, okay. I’ll see you around. Bye.’’

‘’Missing a date?’’ Stephen quips.

It’s only when Tony answers that alarm bells go off in his head. ‘’Kind of. I’m not looking for a relationship, you know? Not until Peter’s… well. Being a single dad is hard enough without juggling someone else on the side. Peter is my absolute priority.’’

Stephen almost trips, as he walks back. Of course. Tony doesn’t talk about possible love interests, but it’s hard to shut him up about Peter. Stephen hasn’t seen a lot of the boy, ever since the kid ran into him.

This is a setback. It’s not something Stephen can’t overcome, though. There’s some sort of story here – there’s enough single parents who date, on the side. Tony is a catch, even now, as he’s standing in Stephen’s living room in his tight jeans and white shirt that brings out his tan skin beautifully. A strip of sunlight catches his hair, and Stephen has to shake himself out of a stupor, even as Tony looks at him with that slight smile on his lips that makes him look so uncertain.

‘’If you want, you should bring Peter along sometimes,’’ Stephen offers. ‘’You’ve told me so much about him, I’d love to know him better.’’

Tony tilts his head. ‘’Yeah. I think we should do that.’’

~*~

Of course, that was only even more of a mistake.

Tony starts bringing Peter with him, when he meets up with Stephen. They don’t stick to the apartment; with Peter, they also go to the playground, and get ice cream, and they even go to a science fair, once.

Stephen already knew Tony isn’t as tough as he makes himself seem, sometimes. He has these little ticks that give him away, but the biggest hint is seeing how he behaves around Peter. It’s so clear that he would do anything to keep Peter safe, to keep his son happy. The thing is; Tony’s also very good at it.

~*~

‘’Stephen!’’ Peter cries out in joy, as Tony goes off on a run while Peter’s sitting on his shoulder. ‘’Stephen, help me!’’

‘’Oh no,’’ Tony says, laughing breathlessly, ‘’Stephen can’t help you now. He’s never going to be able to keep up with me!’’

‘’Won’t I?’’ Stephen says, and promptly starts running after them. He’s faster, as he doesn’t have a child on his back, and catches up to Tony within the minute. A few joggers in the park look up at them, but he doesn’t pay attention to them. It’s January, so all three of them are dressed in thick jackets, which Stephen somewhat regrets as he feels the sweat run down his neck.

‘’Okay, you got me,’’ Tony says, taking deep breaths and leaning on his own knees. ‘’Here, Stephen, you take the little monster. I’m going to get a coffee over there. You want something?’’

Stephen shakes his head, and helps Peter off Tony’s shoulders. ‘’I want hot chocolate!’’ Peter exclaims, and Tony ruffles his son’s head.

‘’I never would’ve guessed, Pete,’’ he jokes, and goes off to the coffee stand, while Peter stays with Stephen.

‘’I like you,’’ Peter proclaims all of a sudden, while Stephen goes sit on a bench with him, waiting for Tony to come back.

Stephen blinks. ‘’I like you too, Peter.’’

‘’You have the cutest son, sir,’’ a woman jogging by informs her. She’s gone before Stephen can even correct her, and Peter smiles at him toothily.

‘’And you like daddy,’’ he says.

Stephen freezes. He likes to think he isn’t very obvious, but if even Tony’s five-year-old kid can pick up on it… ‘’Of course,’’ he says, before he is silent for too long a time. ‘’He’s a very good friend.’’

‘’It’s okay,’’ Peter says. ‘’Daddy told me. That two adults like each other very much sometimes, and then have a child. It’s okay that I was here, first. You can still like each other.’’

‘’Peter,’’ Stephen starts, carefully, but before he can continue, Tony returns. His cheeks are red with cold, and his curly dark hair is visible from underneath the beanie he’s wearing.

‘’Here you go, Pete, your hot chocolate,’’ he says cheerfully, handing his son the cup. He’s still holding his own coffee. ‘’Be careful with that, I don’t want you to burn your tongue. Did you talk about anything fun while I was gone?’’

‘’No,’’ Peter says brightly, and blows dutifully on his hot chocolate as Tony presses a kiss to Peter’s hair.

Stephen feels a soft ache, as he feels the sudden desire to take off Tony’s beanie and run his fingers through Tony’s hair and kiss him senseless. He wants to take Peter on his back and run around with him, and see Tony’s smile and hear Peter’s giggles. He wants to share that coffee with Tony, and thank strangers who compliment him on Peter, instead of explaining to them that Peter’s not his.

This is the gravest mistake Stephen makes – he falls in love.

~*~

Stephen is very aware, has been since he overheard Tony’s voice call, that this is a two-in-one kind of deal. If he’s truly interested in Tony, this can’t be a one-night stand. If he’s truly interested, he has to commit. To Tony, and to Peter.

After the revelation he had in the park, he think he’s ready for that. In fact, it’s hard to not think about it, sometimes. When he lies alone in bed, he thinks about how it would feel to have Tony beside him, their naked skins clinging to each other. He thinks about how Tony’s curls would fit under his chin, their legs entangled. He wonders if Tony snores. Somehow, he thinks Tony is the type to talk in his sleep.

He wonders if Peter would come to their bed, sometimes, if he’s having nightmares. He thinks about the child fitting in between them. He thinks about driving Peter to school, about coming to school meetings with Tony and Peter.

He even can’t stop thinking about them when he’s working at the hospital. It’s a slow day, and Stephen wonders if he should text Tony. He knows Tony’s at work, though. He does something for the government, or at least, that’s what Stephen took from his mumbled and vague explanation. Tony doesn’t talk about it a lot, and Peter seems to not really care what his dad really does for a living.

When he comes home, he immediately notices something is wrong. There’s firemen, all over the place, and walking in and out of 23B. Stephen gets closer, as a fireman tries to stop him. ‘’Sir, you can’t go there,’’ the man tells him. ‘’The fire is contained, but our men are still checking if everything’s secure.’’

‘’I live here,’’ he says, not looking at the fireman, but at the apartment. ‘’I live in 23C. What happened?’’

‘’Oh,’’ the fireman says. ‘’The fire started in 23B. Your apartment should be fine, though, it’s being checked over at the moment.’’

‘’Are Tony and Peter alright?’’ he asks urgently. Something like fear is clawing at his heart.

The fireman watches him. ‘’Your neighbours? Yeah. The kid’s completely unharmed, the man is slightly injured, but nothing serious.’’

‘’I’m a doctor,’’ he says immediately. ‘’Can I see them?’’

‘’Knock yourself out,’’ the fireman says, and leads him to a police car, where he finds Tony and Peter.

‘’Stephen!’’ Peter yells, and runs into his arms. Stephen lifts the boy, as he regards Tony. His arm is bandaged, but he seems fine otherwise. There’s no police officer around, and Tony gives him a weak smile.

‘’What happened?’’ he asks.

‘’It’s my fault,’’ Tony says. ‘’I had the stove on, and then I got a call, and then I got distracted, and the next thing I knew the kitchen was on fire. I tried to put it out, but well…’’ He holds up his bandaged arm with a wry expression on his face.

‘’Now they won’t let us in the house anymore,’’ Peter says to Stephen.

Tony sighs. ‘’No. There’s a lot of fixing to do, and we can’t live there for now. I’ll ask Pepper if we can crash at her place, I’m sure she won’t mind, but it’s such a long way from Peter’s school…’’

‘’You can stay with me,’’ Stephen finds himself saying.

‘’Sleepover!’’ Peter celebrates, but Stephen’s watching Tony. Tony watches him back, his dark eyes intent.

‘’You sure about that?’’ Tony asks. Stephen shrugs, helpless. He’d invite them over to live with him permanently, if he thought he could get away with it.

He already fell in love. There’s no bigger mistake he can make.

~*~

‘’This is… very kind of you,’’ Tony says, as he comes back. He has put Peter to bed in the guest bedroom, and presumably also made his own bed there.

Stephen smiles at him. ‘’It’s no trouble,’’ he says. ‘’You’re here on an almost daily basis, anyway.’’

Tony winces. ‘’Is that bad?’’ he asks. ‘’Peter and I, we’re not interfering with your life, are we? I mean, I’ve never seen you go out with someone, or something.’’

Stephen looks at him. It’s dark outside, and the light inside makes it feel more homely than Stephen thinks it has any right to be. Tony sits down next to Stephen on the couch, and it’s closer than he would’ve expected. Tony’s dark eyes linger on him, examining him. Stephen lets him.

‘’There’s not a lot of people I’m interested in,’’ Stephen says.

‘’So you don’t date?’’ Tony presses.

Stephen shrugs, and they’re sitting so close to each other that their shoulders almost brush. His eyes are fixed on Tony’s lips: he can’t help himself. ‘’Not often,’’ he manages. ‘’Most people think I’m a bastard, and I think most people aren’t worth the effort.’’

‘’I don’t think you’re a bastard,’’ Tony says.

‘’And I don’t think you are most people,’’ Stephen answers easily. Tony’s eyes are big, the light of the lamp reflected in their dampness.

‘’So if I do this,’’ Tony says, and takes Stephen’s hand. He looks slightly uncertain, but there’s something in his eyes that’s more daring than Stephen has ever seen. ‘’That would be okay?’’

Stephen searches Tony’s eyes for only a moment more before making up his mind. He surges forward, pressing his lips against Tony’s. Tony doesn’t wait a moment to respond; he’s eager, and responsive, and it doesn’t take long for Stephen to be out of breath as they break apart.

‘’Would that be okay?’’ Stephen responds, and Tony smiles.

‘’More than okay,’’ Tony says, but then his smile wavers. ‘’You… I’m sorry, but I need to know. This is not a heat-of-the-moment thing, am I right? I’ve been feeling like this for a while, and I need to know that you’re sure about this. I like you, a lot, and Peter likes you, but I’m not going to date casually. I can’t do that to Peter.’’

‘’I was sure from the moment you smiled at me,’’ Stephen breathes.

Tony smiles again, and something twists in Stephen’s stomach. This time, he knows it’s not a mistake, and he kisses Tony again.

~*~

‘’I want a dinosaur,’’ Peter insists. ‘’Pops, you’d give me one, right?’’

Stephen ruffles Peter’s hair and tries to stop himself from laughing. ‘’I’m not going to disagree with your dad, Peter. If he says you can’t have a dinosaur in your new room, you can’t have it.’’

‘’Yeah, sure, make me the bad guy,’’ Tony complains as he returns, and gives Stephen a quick peck on the mouth. ‘’Peter, you can have one of those smaller toy dinosaurs. One, to be precise.’’

Peter cries out in joy, and goes to the toy section as Tony throws some light bulbs into their shopping basket. ‘’You know that’s what he was going for, right?’’ Stephen asks.

Tony shrugs. ‘’Yeah, but he lost his old toy dinosaur in the fire. I was going to buy him one, anyway. This way, he won’t nag about getting anything else on top of it.’’

Stephen smiles. ‘’I like the way you think.’’

‘’You may be improving, but I’m still the master dad,’’ Tony tells him, and his smile makes Stephen’s heart melt all over again. ‘’You have a lot to learn, Padawan.’’

‘’Well, I’m supplying the house, at the moment, so I think I’m being a great dad,’’ Stephen says.

‘’The apartment is ready,’’ Tony shrugs. ‘’We could always move back out.’’

‘’Don’t you dare,’’ Stephen says, and reels Tony in for a longer kiss.

Tony agrees with him wholeheartedly, after that, and Stephen feels the contentment settle in his chest.

Falling in love may have been the best mistake he’s ever made.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr as [tonystarrks](http://https://tonystarrks.tumblr.com), or on my new fic sideblog, [allthetonyships](http://https://allthetonyships.tumblr.com)!


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